1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of display devices and in particular to a video mannequin and also to a method and apparatus for producing a sculpture of a human head for use with the apparatus using LCD video projection for the manufacture of a rear projection headscreen adapted to display a video image projected thereon. The apparatus includes a means for verification of facial alignment and proportioning during the step of sculpting the headscreen to confirm compatibility with a projected real time video image before manufacture of the headscreen based upon said sculpture, and a calibrated method for treating the inner and outer surfaces of the headscreen in such a way that the video image projected thereon appears life-like, thereby creating a video mannequin having clone-like qualities.
2. Background of the Invention
The use of mannequins, once thought of as an oddity for the curious, has evolved into three dimensional displays giving the appearance of live beings. By the projection of an image of a face exhibiting facial movements on a mold formed in the likeness of a human head, the mold takes on the appearance that it is alive and capable of communication. Placement of the molded likeness on a torso simulates a human body and, upon projecting an animated film facial image onto the molded likeness, produces what is referred to as a talking mannequin.
One use of the animated mannequin is for replicating famous persons as an entertainment or educational tool. By means of projecting an image of a famous person onto a headscreen formed in the likeness of a human head, the mold acts as the screen thereby displaying the person's image in a dimensional format. While dimensional projection can enhance viewing, an improperly positioned projector or, more likely, a molded likeness that is not compatible with the image projected, will detract from, if not destroy, the clarity and realism of the display. In addition, if the molded likeness and the projected image are not compatible, distorted or peculiar images result. For instance, if the projector is spaced from a molded likeness by a given amount, the molded likeness, and thus the headscreen, must account for the viewing angle and focal length of the projector so that the projected image is matched to curvatures of the headscreen. Whatever the combination, unless the projector, focal length, and shape of the molded likeness is matched, the attendant distortion will render the molded likeness unusable. When the apparatus which projects the image of a person's face onto a headscreen requires a predetermined distance to properly locate the projected eyes, clarity may be lost if placement of the eyes in the headscreen is not proper. Attempts to rectify clarity by lens adjustment or camera placement resulting in the location of the projected eyes changing anywhere from the bridge of the nose to the side of the face.
The prior art attempts to award these limitations include making the molded likeness (thus the projection screen) as generic, and hence detailess, as possible. This, however, defeats the object of a dimensional headscreen by limiting the viewer to a viewing position so distant from the mannequin that details are obscured. Closer viewing reveals a rounded dimensional screen and loss of realism.
Prior art mannequin headscreens suffer from the disadvantage of having inaccuracies in headsize, symmetry, or specific feature sizes. Even at substantial distances the general public is no longer easily fooled as to the accuracy of the facial configuration of a mannequin of a famous person because television has allowed the public to become familiar with their facial configurations. Thus, viewers demand exceptional quality made possible only by the ability to match facial features and a specific molded likeness with a specific projected image. For this reason alone, it is no longer practical to have a generic headscreen with a famous person's likeness projected thereon if it is to be used as a projection screen in a display setting. Such a projection is incompatible with the projected image making the resulting display unconvincing, inaccurate and, for most applications, useless.
The prior art employs the use of film projection such as 16 mm or Super 8 in combination with a voice recording to assist in giving the mannequin a sense of realism. Typically, the image is projected onto a front or rear screen using projection equipment that is susceptible to friction and other types of deterioration. Frontal imaging is carried out by projecting a person's image onto that person's molded likeness by placement of the projector directly in front of the molded likeness. Such direct placement blocks the view of onlookers and hence is not practical. Therefore, projectors used in frontal image projection are typically placed above or below the molded likeness and the projector angled to project onto the mold. However, this leads to a phenomenon known as keystoning, which is the elongation of features upon the projection screen or mold. In addition, cigarette smoke or other environmental haze associated with the viewing public may disrupt the image as it is being transferred. In an effort to eliminate the problems associated with frontal imaging a natural progression evolved into the use of rear image or rear screen projection.
The person who is to be replicated by the animated mannequin technology described herein will be referred to as the "actor". Rear image projection requires the use of a translucent molded likeness of the actor's head, hereinafter referred to as a headscreen, wherein an image is projected from behind onto the inner surface of the headscreen for viewing from outside of the headscreen. By projecting from the rear, the image is less affected by environmental conditions than with frontal projection, but is still subject to the limitations of facial featuring. The headscreen, being a hollow shell incorporating stock human facial features utilizes a short projector focal length resulting in a projected image which is subject to washouts and hot spots. Washouts arise from the thin dispersion of projector light along angled surfaces, such as the undersides of the nose and chin. Hot spots are an accumulation of reflected images on angled surfaces. Hot spots also typically occur on surfaces that are normal to the direction of incident projected light. In addition, headscreens of the prior art are limited in use to viewing from the front thereof. Typically, viewing from angles greater than 20 degrees off of straight-on has resulted in image unevenness, decrease in light intensity, and a general loss of image clarity. Viewing from angles greater than 40 degrees off center may produce an image that is unintelligible. Further, headscreens having anything greater than rounded or muted facial features, such as a realistic nose, leads to hot spots wherein the accumulation of plural images on a single facial feature shows up as an unrealistic looking high intensity light spot. Either event leads to uneven surface brightness, loss of color, and loss of resolution. Loss of color intensity inherent in prior art projection apparatus is further added to the list of problems as the prior art does not teach any means for correction of color loss due to film projection. The object of a dimensional screen is defeated if the viewer is forced to observe the video mannequin from a distance greater than twenty feet in order to prevent the viewer from noticing the rounded, unrealistic, facial features. This loss of genuineness is exacerbated by use of film projection and/or transfer means such as mirrors or image conduit.
Generally, the creation of a headscreen for use in rear image projection is a multiple step process. Heretofore the first step comprised creating a molded likeness of the actor's face. A generic mold would then be fabricated having limited facial feature detail to avoid the aforementioned problems so that the mold conforms generally to the projected image. A plaster cast is made of the molded likeness, whereafter a transparent plastic mannequin head with integral headscreen is formed by vacuum process, the headscreen retaining the shape of the molded likeness. A coating is applied to the interior of the facial portion to create a translucent surface. The headscreen is then placed onto a torso whereby an image is projected onto the inner surface of the head, which allows viewing from the exterior thereof.
As previously discussed, the prior art limits the molded likeness to certain facial features whether imaging by frontal or rear projection. Thus a molded likeness that depicts an actual person's head and which is projected upon by prior art rear projection techniques, results in a poor headscreen. In addition, if a molded likeness is of a famous person and a substitute actor is used for taping, idiosyncracies caused from the projection of a moving face into a concave contoured screen further add to the problems caused by projected light paths contacting angled and contoured features, rendering the headscreen inaccurate if not useless. If portions of the headscreen are not properly aligned with the projection means, low intensity areas that lack authenticity or lack the original person's likeness result. Calibration of the molded likeness to obtain the proper balance between model, mannequin headsize, facial symmetry, specific feature sizes, and particulars of the image projection on a case by case basis has been difficult. No one has heretofore been able to calculate an apparatus and method to obtain a headscreen exhibiting clone-like qualities. For this reason, prior art headscreens are typically made from a generic mold to accommodate most any face projected thereon.
Thus, it should be evident that the manufacture of the headscreen is critical to creating a life like animated mannequin. The ability to manufacture a headscreen having clone-like qualities has not heretofore been addressed nor has a means been made available for accurately adapting the facial features of a particular actor to a molded headscreen.
While there is no prior art known to the inventor that teaches a method of constructing a truly accurate headscreen acceptable for use with rear image projection, there are rear image projection techniques which use headscreens and further illustrate the aforementioned problems. One such device utilizing rear imaging is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,840 to Jacobs et al. Jacobs discloses the use of a generic headscreen of the type previously described in combination with a conventional mirror for reflecting film projected images from within the mannequin torso to the mirror mounted in the head, and to in turn reflect the image therefrom onto a headscreen. While the purpose of this device is to allow an image to be projected from within, it demonstrates how the use of a mirror limits the projected image to those portions of the screen oriented at a right angle to the mirror. Further, it should be noted that optic losses result when reflecting an image from a planar reflective surface onto a concave, undulated, screen surface. The orientation and placement of the mirror results in portions of the headscreen being distorted or otherwise lacking illumination. For instance, improper angling of the mirror causes a reverse form of keystoning. Lack of side screen illumination reduces the image clarity when viewed from other than a 20.degree. angle on either side of center of the mannequin face. As the mirror limits the size and shape of the headscreen which can be used, the use thereof makes it impossible to create a headscreen having images of clone-like quality. Again, as the headscreen is based on a molded likeness of the actor, undue experimentation with the headscreen would be required to make the Jacobs device more realistic.
Another device utilizing rear imaging is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,216 to Liljegren et al. Liljegren discloses an apparatus using fiber optic conduit for transmission of projection images onto a headscreen. However, the use of fiber optics results in a lack of coordination between the formation of the headscreen and the projected image, requiring the use of a generic featured headscreen. The resulting headscreen is limited to a nearly flat frontal portion, any facial features thereon being rounded or muted. Such devices are also prone to improper orientation of the fiber optic strands causing loss of illumination, loss of side screen illumination, poor resolution and color, as well as side image washout. Also, as discovered by myself through experimentation, use of bundled fibers severely degrades the image and, by design significantly less than the available input light is transferred. This results in an image transfer which can be washed out by ordinary room light. In addition, image transfer intensity rapidly falls off as an observer moves from a position of direct view of the headscreen to an off center or side view. This fall-off is due to the forward-directional nature of the projecting means. Further, improper sizing of fiber bundles reveals the fiber superstructure within the transfer means upon projection. Obviously the use of a projection means having distinct pixel qualities is not possible under the named prior art due to disruption or loss during transfer. Nothing in the prior art discloses an apparatus for transferring a visual signal that is capable of reproducing an image of clone-like quality.
Both Liljegren and Jacobs disclose the use of various film projection devices of 16 mm or Super 8 continuous loop format. Neither employs the use of LCD video technology in the form of magnetic tape or laser disc or the use of such in combination with interactive/message type apparatus. In addition, since both the Liljegren and Jacobs projection means are limited to film projection, the use of pixel pattern images would not add clarity or resolution as the pixel pattern would be disrupted during transformation from film to pixel format. As with Jacobs, Liljegren does not teach the importance of projecting an image onto a headscreen using the same means as is used for molding likeness the headscreen.
Therefore, a method of creating a molded likeness and headscreen sculpture using video projection for use in combination with rear projection images is needed wherein the headscreen is produced by an apparatus which confirms compatibility of the recorded images with the final projected images before actual manufacture of the headscreen. While efforts have been made toward meeting some of the problems associated with use of dimensional screens, no satisfactory solution has heretofore been provided. It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of these problems and, further, to a means for crafting a molded likeness having clone-like qualities for use as a mannequin allowing better color, resolution and overall realism, that the instant disclosure is directed.